Computer wont go past BIOS - Nvidia Boot Loader? (network loader?)

[Mister K]

So I have recently "fixed" my friends computer with clean Windows 7 installation and post edits for lower latency and boot times. Cleaned up the case and added a spare 2x1GB sticks of DDR2 I had laying around.

Now all works fine and I put the HDD into his computer and suddenly I can't get past the BIOS. Its stuck on "NVIDIA BOOT LOADER". Now I am wondering, maybe his MOBO does not support Windows 7 unless BIOS is updated?

His Mobo is ASUS VEGAS 2 (http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5NE_SLI/)
He has two GPUS (I believe they nvidia), fanless, old school ones. I swaped the profile from SLI to single card and nothing seems to work.

Any Ideas?

Screenshots:
http://i.imgur.com/ZInphWF.jpg - http://i.imgur.com/XEdS5nT.jpg - http://i.imgur.com/X0d2nuL.jpg

I would be SUPER thankful if anyone could help me out, iv done some research but nothing :/

My ideas:

1) Windows 7 is not supported without BIOS updated
2) a BIOS setting is forbidding me to continue.

PS: When I looked in the BIOS, NVIDIA BOOTLOADER is greyed out, so I can't toggle it :/

[chazus]

You need to change the boot priority in BIOS. It sounds like (cant tell from the screenies) the CD drive isn't listed as bootable. You just need to go to (I think advanced? Boot priority?)

And make it #1 CD, #2 HDD

Ignore the whole nvidia thing. The "Nvidia boot loader" has absolutely nothing to do with it. Thats probably just the last boot thing it tries before giving up. Its not a card issue.

[Vash The Stampede]

Network adapters have the ability to boot off the network. Fun times I've had with that feature, but anyway. It's looking to boot off the network. Just go into the bios and disable that feature. Look for something like PXE.

[Mister K]

Well thats what I did at start and I done the following:

#1 HDD, #2 CD, #3 REMOVABLE, #4 (theotheroption lol)

Il swap 1 with 2 and see if it works (however the PC is not here atm). If that does not work, any other ideas? Btw I don't need to boot of Windows disc, I've already installed it on the HDD (if that makes any difference).

[chazus]

I'm... a little confused.

How did you install it, exactly, if its not booting off the CD now?

Or did you install it already, and the CD is no longer in the CD drive?

[Remilia]

Did you install the OS with it connected to the current MoBo?

[Mister K]

I installed the OS via a desktop installation on a different PC by taking out the HDD.

So I guess I need to make a bootable USB and do it that way?

[chazus]

So you... detached another computers HDD, put in that one, installed Windows, took it out (reattached that computers HD), and put your newly installed drive back in your system?

If that's the case, it wont work. You'll need to install windows on THAT system.

[Mister K]

So you... detached another computers HDD, put in that one, installed Windows, took it out (reattached that computers HD), and put your newly installed drive back in your system?

If that's the case, it wont work. You'll need to install windows on THAT system.

Ah damn :/ I did it many times never had issues. Well I guess il have to make a bootable USB.

I can make one for an external HDD right? (I wouldn't think there is any difference between flash USB vs portable HDD)?

[Remilia]

I have never done it with an external HDD so can't comment on that.

While it -can- work in some cases, it's generally a good idea to just install it with the current MoBo, funny things happen when you don't.

[Deleted]

flash or external hdd should both work fine, but in comes downt to your mobo.
and installing the os on another mashine and just transfering it only works if the system is basicly the same or you had just luck that it didnt break.

installing the os via external hdd/flash was always the best and fastest way in my experience+

[chazus]

It can work, with SOME intel chipsets, but the work funny and drivers will screw up.

Though, in retrospect, even if it did screw up, it would still TRY to boot windows.

I think you still need to fix the boot order, regardless.

[Mister K]

Damn, there was I think I could pull a bodge job and get it done quickly ^^ Well, I better get this USB preped, tomorrow is the final deadline and already took it back. I will do the first two suggestions in the BIOS and see if I can boot (both intel machines, both asus mobos but a decade apart lol).

Thanks for the advice!

[Amorac]

It can work, with SOME intel chipsets, but the work funny and drivers will screw up.

Though, in retrospect, even if it did screw up, it would still TRY to boot windows.

I think you still need to fix the boot order, regardless.

If you install W7 via the desktop with 2 drives it will put the boot files on drive 0. I would guess the drive he installed now only holds Windows without the hidden boot/repair partition.

Tho ye, changing boot order and see if that fixes it would be a lot faster to try.

[Mister K]

If you install W7 via the desktop with 2 drives it will put the boot files on drive 0. I would guess the drive he installed now only holds Windows without the hidden boot/repair partition.

Tho ye, changing boot order and see if that fixes it would be a lot faster to try.

Repairing the boot loader can be done via W7 disc right?

[Amorac]

Repairing the boot loader can be done via W7 disc right?

Yes, but never had to do it tho in a situation where there is no hidden partition to repair.

Looking back at it, it would be better to install the OS directly on the target machine, esp if they don't have the same chipset, in my experience nVidia chipset are rather difficult with this, tho that was with XP.